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The museum was quiet. The London crew had just returned from the airport to a frozen museum without Ahkmenrah or the tablet. In the half century of waking up every night, Octavius had never known this kind of serenity. There had always been some battle to be fought or an adventure to be had. It was unnerving to experience the museum the way it was meant to be experienced: dead.
Juxtaposed with the excitement in London, the lifelessness unsettled Octavius. It almost made him want to go back to fearing for his life. Almost. He’d rather feel that than nothing at all. He was reminded by the exhibits around him that in an hour he too would be just as inanimate as they are. At least they got off easy. They went to sleep the previous night not knowing they would never wake up again.
Octavius and Jedediah shared Larry’s pocket on their way to the Hall of Miniatures. No one dared to speak a word. The silence stretched for miles, each one of them distracted by their own realm of thought.
Octavius felt his shoulder brush against Jedediah’s with the gentle sway of Larry’s stride. That was another issue. He’d been thinking about it ever since they came to the decision to leave Ahkmenrah and the tablet in London. Him and Jedediah would be separated. Not even in inanimate, plastic purgatory could they be together. Perhaps this was their punishment for spending most of their sentient existence at each other’s throats.
It’s still shocking to Octavius to remember a time in which he hated Jedediah. Once they came to a truce, their friendship blossomed faster than anyone could have predicted. The pair became inseparable. They spent almost every night together. Whether it was driving the car, watching movies on the desktop, or running for their lives in Pompeii, the pair was only ever seen apart when neither of them were conscious to experience it.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Octavius fell in love with Jedediah. It was bound to happen. The cowboy was everything that Octavius wasn’t. He was everything he desired. He was everything. Jedediah completed him when he didn’t even know he was incomplete. Then, they left the Hall of Miniatures. Jedediah was with him for a world beyond their dioramas. Whether the world was big because of Jedediah or Jedediah is what made the world feel big, Octavius did not know nor did he care. As long as he was experiencing it with the cowboy, there was no need to waste time on such inquiries.
As much as Octavius longed to share his feelings with Jedediah, it never happened. The words would swell up in his chest and die on his tongue. Octavius convinced himself that it was better off this way. Leaving the words left unsaid meant leaving their relationship unchanged. And quite frankly, he didn’t want anything to change. Octavius already had Jedediah as such a dear friend and he knew that he was important to Jedediah as well. It would have been selfish to possibly jeopardize such a mutually dear friendship. He just had to learn to be content with what he had.
Unfortunately, the concealment of one's emotions does not make them any less real. The Roman’s desire only grew like an unruly weed without maintenance. He dug himself into his own grave. His blond, funny-talking, oddly-charming grave.
The final nail in the proverbial coffin was the battle against Kahmunrah at the Smithsonian. Octavius was so sure that he was going to lose Jedediah that night. In the moment, he cursed himself for never having the courage to face his feelings for the cowboy. Then, it happened again a few hours ago in Pompeii and Octavius was still too cowardly to express his feelings. Fortunately, they made it out the other side alive both times. Octavius thought that he was beyond having to worry about the possibility of death, but his fate was now glaring at him through hardened, plastic eyes. He missed his chance and may never get another one.
As sunrise approached, the pit in the Roman’s stomach sank deeper and deeper until he was sure he would collapse in on himself. The weight of all the words he should have said and the emotions he kept to himself for so long sat square on his shoulders, bogging him down into hopeless oblivion.
“Alright guys,” Larry set the miniatures on the bench in the center of the diorama room, the same spot where they were granted freedom so many years ago. The night guard took a seat to say his goodbyes. “You know what I’ll remember most about you? How big you are.” They spent a few minutes reminiscing before Larry took his leave to go say goodbye to the other exhibits. “We got forty minutes till sunrise. I’ll come back to put you into your places so no need to rush. You guys had a long night.”
“Yessir,” Jedediah agreed, “felt mighty longer than the rest of ‘em.”
“It’s ten A.M. in London right now, so you got an extra five hours.”
“Time zones are a strange thing,” Octavius remarked.
Larry disappeared deeper into the museum leaving the tiny cowboy and general alone on the bench. They sat an inch from each other in suffocating silence. Octavius let his eyes roam the space around them knowing that it’d be over for him if they landed on Jedediah.
“Do you ever wish we could be real?” Jedediah broke the silence.
“We are real, Jedediah.”
“Yeah, but, y’know, real real,” the blond feebly explained, “Real like gigantor and Nicky and…,” he trailed off. “They’re made of flesh and bones and disgusting human parts and we’re…”
“Plastic?” Octavius finished. He finally let his eyes meet Jedediah’s. The look in them broke the general’s heart. He’d never wish to see his cowboy with that kind of sadness and regret in his eye. He would do whatever it takes to bring back the light behind his eyes.
“And y’know, the museum is meant to educate folks – an’ that’s what we do. So I guess we’re alive in a way. I was just hopin’ that we could at least, y’know…” The cowboy was rambling. He averted his eyes and the beginnings of a blush bloomed high on his cheeks. Octavius waited for him to finish the sentence. He didn’t realize he must have been staring. His heart rate began to pick up. The few seconds of hesitation stretched into hours. Jedediah took a breath before continuing, “It feels like we just started gettin’ along an’ now we gotta leave that all behind. I’m gonna miss havin’ you ‘round, partner.”
The words broke something in the Roman. The cracks in the dam finally gave way. Of course, he’d been thinking the very same thing but hearing it leave Jedediah’s mouth finally put it all into perspective. All the emotions that Octavius had been burying found their way to the surface. At the forefront was the regret that Octavius felt that night at the Smithsonian. This truly was his last chance.
“Jedediah, there is something I feel I must share with you.” The blond’s expression changed from self pity to confusion at the serious tone. Octavius took a shaky breath before continuing in his general voice, “Since coming to peaceful terms, I have fallen victim to the surprising allure of your character. You make me feel things I never thought I was capable of feeling. I kept those emotions to myself because I never wanted it to get in the way of our friendship. But if this is our last night together, I don’t want to spend it hiding anything from you.”
Jedediah was transfixed on the Roman, unable to formulate a response and hanging onto every word. He looked onto the general with eyes the size of the moon and the flush on his face reaching his ears. His blond, unkempt hair framed his face, lighting him up like a biblical angel. Octavius savored every detail possible. He realized he was staring and never finished what he was saying.
Octavius cleared his throat then continued, “Jedediah, I am in lo-”
He was cut off by the cowboy’s lips, very ungracefully, finding his. Jedediah missed in his eagerness, landing at the corner of Octavius’ mouth before fixing his placement. Jedediah’s hands were already placed on either side of the Roman’s neck, his helmet getting in the way. His cowboy hat tipped backward, barely hanging on at the crown of his head. Octavius discarded it and found the golden locks that he so much adored at the nape of the cowboy’s neck.
Once the kiss broke, a genuine smile grew on Jedediah’s face. “Sorry, I got a lil’ excited,” he chuckled as Octavius frantically unequipped his helmet and discarded it next to them with the forgotten cowboy hat.
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Octavius quipped as he pulled Jedediah into another kiss.
It was slow and deep and exactly what both of them needed. Everything around them fazed into nothing and it was like they were the only people to exist. The only sensations grounding them to reality were where their lips met and their hands roamed. Time stopped and the couple got to forget for a few minutes just how little of it they had left.
By the time they broke apart, there was only about twenty minutes until sunrise. They laid atop the bench, Octavius’ head on Jedediah’s shoulder. He shamelessly took the hand he so badly wanted merely hours ago. This time, the silence was comforting with nothing weighing down Octavius’ heart.
“I can’t begin to tell you how badly I’ve wanted this,” Octavius spoke softly.
“I just wish we coulda had more time,” Jedediah replied. “Spent all our time dancin’ ‘round it.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted to dance with anyone else anyway,” Octavius smiled. “Time spent with you is time well spent.” He heard Jedediah hum in agreement before fading back into silence.
“Do you regret anythin’?” the blond asked.
Octavius was a little taken aback at the sudden question. “The fight against Kahmunrah. I regret not telling you back then. I thought you were gone and still I was too much of a coward to say anything.”
Jedediah sighed. “Don’t go beatin’ yourself up over that. I’m just as guilty.”
“Then is there anything you regret, pulcher?”
“I’m gonna pretend I know what that means.” Jedediah brought their laced fingers to his mouth where he kissed the back of Octavius’ hand. “If I had to pick one, it’s not gettin’ the chance to marry the man I love.” His eyes met the general’s and Octavius saw the same sadness and regret from earlier. Something pulsed under his ribs. There was no way on Jupiter’s green Earth that he would let that be his love’s biggest regret.
“Then let’s do it.”
“What??” Jedediah’s eyes flew wide and his face bloomed an unmistakable shade of red.
“Let’s get married,” Octavius asserted. He rose to his feet and pulled the cowboy along with him.
“‘Tavius you can’t be serious,” Jedediah tried to rationalize. Octavius stood across from the blond. He took both his hands in his own, making the shock only more apparent in his expression. “I don’t think this is how weddings even work. We don’t got a priest or a license or or…” Octavius’ eyes locked with Jedediah’s, promptly shutting him up.
“Marriage is the promise of two people to love each other forever. If we both take that oath, then who cares whether or not we have a witness.” Jedediah’s look softened. He struggled to stifle the smile that would grace his features. He let out a low chuckle at how ridiculous and charming the Roman was. Usually, that was his job. “This way, we'll always be together, even when we’re asleep.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Jedediah smiled fondly.
Octavius nodded, acknowledging the cowboy’s agreement, before bowing his head and slowly descended onto one knee. Jedediah’s jaw hit the floor as his face promptly exploded in a rosy tint. He was left speechless watching the Roman kneel before him with both his hands clad in the general’s.
“Jedediah Smith,” Octavius started. He lifted his head, letting their eyes meet. The cowboy’s eyes were blown wide in disbelief. “Despite our glaring differences, you enlighten my life every night. I have never been happier than when I am with you. I cannot imagine a timeline in which I don’t love you. Will you marry me?”
The cowboy was doing a terrible job at concealing the elated grin on his face. He brought the Roman to his feet, their hands still intertwined. “Gaius Octavius, I would love nothin’ more than to marry you. Right now.”
Their lips collided once again but for the first time as husbands. Octavius doesn’t know how long they stayed like that. Time had a funny way of going too fast and too slow with Jedediah. However, it was never slow enough.
The pair separated to the sound of a throat being cleared. Larry stood in the entrance to the Hall of Miniatures. It was strange that he had managed to sneak up on them. Usually, the giant’s footsteps could be heard for miles, in their perspective. They were so caught up in the moment that they had missed their warning.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something,” Larry interrupted. “Sun comes up in five minutes. I came to put you guys back.”
“Right, of course,” Octavius nodded, embarrassment obscuring his face.
“W-we figured time was almost up,” Jedediah sputtered.
The couple untangled themselves from each other’s grasp and let Larry lift them into his palm. When they reached the dioramas, Larry placed both miniatures on the edge of Rome.
“I’m gonna miss you guys,” the night guard repeated.
“It was an honor, my liege.” Octavius covered his heart with his fist and bowed.
“I’ll never forget you, gigantor,” Jedediah saluted.
“Alrighty, Jed, let’s get you back out west,” Larry started to reach for the cowboy, but before he could get a hold of him, he made a quick motion to peck Octavius on the lips then retreated. Octavius was paralyzed and flustered at the sudden gesture.
“Love ya, darlin’,” Jedediah winked and fixed his hat then found his way into Larry’s dumbfounded grasp.
“Did I miss something?” the night guard questioned.
“Nope,” both miniatures responded at the same time.
Octavius made his way to his post and took his position. He could feel the magic of the tablet leaving him as his frame stiffened. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever get to see his cowboy again, but he wouldn’t have changed a thing. The last thing he thought before losing consciousness was Jedediah.
~~~
Octavius felt his body loosen. The magic of the tablet coursed through his metaphorical veins with a voracity he’d never felt before. He blinked his eyes hard to adjust to the light and stretched his stiff limbs from Jupiter knows how long of unconsciousness. Why was he awake? He thought Akhmenrah stayed in London. Did they bring the tablet back by mistake?
“Good evening everyone!” A woman’s voice with a posh accent came from the PA system. “It’s been three years, and the British museum brought back a couple treasures we thought you’d enjoy!”
Three years? Why did Ahkmenrah come back? Before Octavius was able to ponder any further, he remembered something far more important: Jedediah. He sped from his post, to the edge of the diorama, and descended to the floor faster than he’d ever made the journey in his life. He was on a mission. When he made it to the ground, Octavius looked across the room and saw a tiny cowboy who must have had the same idea he did.
“Jedediah!” Octavius exulted and ran as fast as he could toward the cowboy.
“‘Tavius!” Jedediah whooped as he was already in pursuit of the Roman.
They met in the middle for a warm, desperate embrace. Their bodies slammed into each other as their arms intertwined in a sturdy grasp. Jedediah’s hat fluttered to the ground but they were too preoccupied to care.
The blond pulled away just enough to look Octavius in the eye. “Wanna go get the car?” he suggested with a smirk.
“Always,” Octavius smiled and took his hand.